4 min readJul 22, 2026 11:20 PM IST Ayush Shetty secured a remarkably comfortable 21-17, 5-21, 21-17 victory over Indonesian rival Alwi Farhan to enter the second round of the Super 1000 China Open. It was an important win on a big stage — a Super 1000 — against an opponent who is the season’s best form player and widely acknowledged as Indonesia’s next big hope. The two 21-year-olds are seen as the future of badminton, though they have done enough to be considered the present. While Alwi has two titles this season, Ayush is still searching for his big one. China Open offers a good opportunity for the World No.23. Though his draw half is stacked — including Lakshya Sen in the semis possibly — he can dream big, after securing a confidence-boosting result, getting past a 2022 World Jrs batchmate who he hadn’t beaten since 2023. Ayush plays Nhat Nguyen, a pokey tricky Irishman next. Sen registered a fighting win over Yushi Tanaka after an especially tricky first set, where he contrived to …